Social Work - Gerontology Practice

Overview

The Gerontology Practice sequence prepares students for practice with older adults in a variety of settings. The most recent edition of the Occupational Outlook Handbook reports that 5 in 10 jobs in the health care and social assistance sectors will be for people with expertise in working with older populations.

This sequence emphasizes the development, delivery, and management of services to meet the specific needs of the growing population of elderly. The curriculum prepares graduates for advanced practice across an array of settings including long-term care centers, assisted living centers, mental health centers and institutions, elder protection agencies, medical agencies, and community centers.

Students who pursue this concentration in the Master of Social Work (M.S.W.) program may qualify for the Social Aspects of Aging certificate from the Department of Sociology and Anthropology. Some of the coursework, including electives, draw from a cross-disciplinary curriculum. In addition to coursework that is specific to gerontology, students will complete their advanced practicum in an agency setting with older adults.

Advising

How to Apply

University Admission Requirements

have earned a four-year bachelor's degree or its equivalent from a college or university that is accredited by the appropriate regional accrediting association, or do so within one academic year

present official transcripts from each college or university other than Illinois State at which graduate, undergraduate, or non-degree credit was earned. Transcripts can be emailed from the university to Admissions@IllinoisState.edu or mailed in a sealed envelope to: Office of Admissions, 201 Hovey Hall, Campus Box 2200, Normal, IL 61790-2200

International students can learn more about specific application requirements by visiting the Office of Admissions.

Additional Program Admission Requirements

A student applying to this program must:

have an undergraduate degree in from an accredited university

have a GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale in the last sixty hours of undergraduate coursework or any previous work in a master's program

submit a current resume

submit names and email addresses of two references for letters of recommendation within the online application. Recommendations should be written by individuals who are familiar with your academic achievement, potential, and relevant professional and/or volunteer experience in the field of social work or other human service related field.

Advanced Standing Applicants: you must provide one academic reference and one reference from a field instructor. If you have not begun your advanced field practicum, you may provide one reference from a professional or volunteer social service/human service experience.

Full Program Applicants: You must provide at least one academic reference if graduating within a year of applying to the MSW program and one reference from paid or volunteer experience in social service/human services. Applicants who are currently working full-time must provide one reference from a social service/human service supervisor, one reference from a professional colleague or former supervisor and one reference from paid or volunteer experience in social service/human services (especially for candidates who are changing careers).

Please provide the following guidelines to your recommender for completion of a letter of recommendation on behalf of an applicant:

How long and in what capacity have you known the applicant?

What is your evaluation of the applicant's capabilities and suitability for graduate education?

What is your evaluation of the applicant's capabilities and suitability for subsequent practice in the field of social work (i.e. applicant's level of competence in his/her ability to work with others, level of comfort with social and cultural differences, respect for differences, and commitment to social and economic equity)?

How would you assess the applicant's potential for professional growth and development, capacity for self-awareness, and sensitivity to the needs and feelings of others?

Identify leadership ability, work performance (academic or professional) and personal characteristics that you believe could either help or hinder the applicant's development as an effective social worker.

Other comments

submit an essay. The essay should demonstrate an applicants interest in obtaining their master's degree and working in the social work field. Applicants should draw from their academic, personal and professional experiences to respond to the essay questions. The essay should be 5-10 pages in length and follow the American Psychological Association (APA) format.

The questions that need to be addressed are:

Why are you interested in pursuing an MSW? What led you to choose ISU’s program? What are your intended career goals? How do your intended career goals and interests fit with either the Child and Family Practice, School Social Work or Gerontology concentration?

Explain your understanding of cultural competence? What challenges have you experienced and what have you done to address them? What actions have you taken to promote equality and inclusion?

Please identify a current social justice issue. As a social worker, what steps would you take to address this issue? What actions have you taken in your life to challenge any social injustice?

What is your history of academic and/or professional success? If you've had challenges academically, how have you addressed those challenges? What is your plan to be academically successful in graduate school?

What volunteer experiences and/or professional development activities have you participated in? How have these activities prepared you for the profession?

What is your plan to pay for graduate school and meet your living expenses? What changes do you plan to make in your daily schedule to accommodate the time demands of graduate school.

Application Deadlines

Graduate Assistantships

The University provides graduate assistantships as a means of financial support. They are intended as a way to facilitate a student's progress to degree while providing important professional development.

Eligibility

To be eligible for an assistantship a student must, generally,

be admitted unconditionally as a degree-seeking student into a graduate academic program, or have a minimum of 120 undergraduate hours if in an integrated degree program

be in good-standing

be enrolled full-time (typically at least 9 credit hours during the fall or spring semesters, or at least 6 hours during the summer session).

Benefits

Graduate assistants receive

monthly wages paid in the form of either a stipend or an hourly wage

a waiver for 100% of tuition during a semester of appointment

a waiver for up to 12 credit hours of tuition for the summer term immediately following a fall or spring appointment

Costs & Funding

See Student Accounts for information on tuition and fees. Funding for graduate students is available from several different sources. Students who have been admitted from continuous states including Iowa, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, and Wisconsin will receive in-state tuition.